Cleaning appliance



June 2, 1936. A. c. E. MEIER CLEANING APPLIANCE Filed June 16, 1934 INVENTOR AUQUST C. E. 0751 I ATTORNEY Patented June 2, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CLEANING APPLIANCE August 0. E. Meier, New York, N. Y. Application June 16, 1934, Serial No. 730,885 4 Claims. (01. 15-220) The present invention relates generally to socalled cleaning accessories and is more particularly directed to the provision of a simple and practical appliance for use in dry cleaning, as by dusting, or washing flat surfaces or different kinds, as walls, partitions and the like, and especially sheet or plate glass, as utilized in display cases, picture framing and in window construction.

While my invention possesses a wide range of utility, for the purposes of the present disclosure, I have elected to treat it more or less specifically, as it may be employed in cleaning window glass or panes, for which function it is admirably adapted, as hereinafter will become apparent. It will be understod, however, that this is merely for illustrative purposes and is not to be construed in any sense as a limitation of the scope of application or use of my invention.

In United States Letters Patent No. 1,606,653 granted to me November 9, 1926, I have shown and described a device for cleaning or washing window panes, wherein the washing or cleaning element or wiper, is supported from a rigid body which is pressed into fiat contact throughout its length, with the surface which is to be cleaned or washed, by the provision of a flexible medium connected to such body and provided with a suitable handle, whereby the aforesaid medium may be appropriately flexed for the work being performed, the wiper being retained in stretched or taut functioning position relative to the body, by being extended about the handle at its lower end for grasping in the hand of the user of the device as the handle is held.

I have set forth in the text of my aforesaid Letters Patent, the disadvantages and hazards that resided in cleaning windows, prior to the conception of the subject-matter thereof, by the use of other forms of devices or the conventional hand cloths and how they may be eliminated by the practicing of the invention as disclosed.

The present invention, primarily, is directed to the attainment of the broad objectives of the device of my above-identified Letters Patent and is in the nature of an improvement on the latter.

More specifically, the object of this invention is to provide an appliance for performing cleaning or washing operations on various types of fiat surfaces, as hereinbefore pointed out, and especially on glass, as embodied in window and other constructions, which will impart to my original invention a wider range of usefulness nd ermit of its employment under conditions 2-2 of Figure 1.

to which the structure of my aforesaid Letters Patent cannot satisfactorily respond.

Another object of this invention is the provision of a cleaning or washing element or wiper, that may be readily associated with the 5 appliance and detached therefrom at will, the wiper when attached to the appliance becoming, in effect, a part thereof so that such objections as might lie against the manual retention of the wiper element, as in the construction of my patent, may be obviated, the composi-- tion of the wiper per se making it more highly efiicient in the performance of its intended function, than that of my previous disclosure.

A further and important object of my present invention resides in the provision of an adapter or attachment whereby my appliance may be used in operating upon surfaces of small area, as window panes, for example, with the same convenience and efi'iciency that obtains where the surface area permits of the use of the appliance as described in my Letters Patent, as aforesaid.

It is also an object of this invention to provide an appliance capable of an extensive range of use and possessing the aforementioned characteristics and advantages, which is of an extremely simple design, thereby readily lending itself to mass production so that it may be made available at a low market price, while at the same time providing a practical and convenient means for expeditiously and efiiciently performing not only the work for which it is peculiarly adapted, as pointed out, but numerous other tasks to which the construction and assembly of the complete appliance makes it applicable.

Other objects and advantages flowing from the practicing of my invention will doubtless present themselves as the description proceeds and I would have it understood that I reserve unto myself all 40 rights to the full range of equivalents, both in structure and in use, to which I may be entitled under my invention in its broadest aspect.

In the accompanying drawing, I have illustrated certain preferred embodiments of my invention. It will be manifest, however, that my invention may take other forms within the purview of the appended claims. a

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a plan view of one embodiment of 50 my invention, portions being broken away to disclose the relative positions of the components of the complete assembly.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section on the line Figure 3 is a view in perspective of the detachable element or so-called wiper of the structure of Figures 1 and 2. V

Figure 4 is a longitudinal section of the upper end of the appliance shown in the preceding figures, with an adapted or auxiliary attachment affixed thereto, for operating upon surfaces of relatively small area.

Figure 5 is a perspective of the wiper element designed for use with the adapter.

Figure 6 is a transverse section on the of Figure 5.

Figures '7 and 8 are respectively plan views of fragments of the adapter receiving end of the appliance and the adapter, illustrative of the mode of assembly.

Figure 9 is a view in perspective, showing the manner in which my appliance, with adapter attached, is employed in operating on small-size window panes.

Figure 10 is a view in elevation, form of my invention.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, in which like characters of reference are employed to designate similar parts in the several views, and more particularly to the structure of Figures 1 to 3, inclusive, I0 indicates the elongated body-portion of the appliance, which may be produced from any suitable material, preferably fiat metal stock, of a thickness to impart to it the requisite line of a modified rigidity for functioning as hereinafter explained.

Fixed to the body ID, as illustrated, by the rivets II and I2, is a fiexible member I3, preferably of spring steel, which carries a grip or handle I4 of wood or other suitable material, as bakelite or a similar composition, provided with a protuberance, which, as shown, may embody a head I5 and a shank I6.

From the description thus far given, it will be manifest that when the handle I4 is grasped, the face of'the body-portion IIl may be readily pressed into fiat contact throughout its length with a complemental surface to be operated upon, in response to the flexure or bending of the member I3 in the area below its lowermost point of jointurewith the body II], the degree of fiexure of said member and its inherent resistance thereto, of course, contributing to the aforesaid disposition of the body Ill relative to the work.

The cleaning element, which, for convenience, will be styled the wiper, it being understood that it may be variously constituted to function for dusting, washing, or wiping and polishing after washing, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, embodies a backing or supporting strip of any suitable fabric II, slightly longer and wider than the appliance body III, to one face of which I stitch or otherwise permanently secure a complemental piece of chamois or other material, as turkish toweling, or the'like, as indicated at I 8, depending upon the work to which the wiper is to be applied. The reverse face of the wiper, as will be apparent, is provided with a pocket I9, formed by stitching or sewing a strip of fabric upon the supporting strip II, as at I9a, this pocket being open at the .bottom or lower end of the wiper so that the body I0 of the appliance may be entered therein for locating the working surface I8 in position upon 'said body for functioning, the extending end or flap I'Ia. of the strip I! being pierced, as at I"),

" to engage with the protuberance on the handle l4, whereby the wiper will be held in its proper Of course, other means than the form of protuberance shown and the cooperating opening in the supporting strip fiap may be employed for attaining the desired interconnection of the wiper and appliance, so that the hand of the user of the device may be relieved of the added work of retaining the wiper in place, as in the structure of my patent.

The adapter to which I have previously referred, similarly to the appliance just described, includes a rigid body and a flexible arm 2I fixed thereto, as at 22, the said arm being provided with longitudinally spaced bosses or pro-- tuberances adjacent its free end. As shown, one of these is of an annular profile, as at 23, while the other is rectangular in shape, the latter preferably being undercut to form a head 24a. These protuberances are adapted to register with and enter complemental openings 25 and 26 in juxtaposition to the upper end of the appliance body I0, in the assembly of the two components, the rectangular boss 24 of the adapter, as the latter is held at an angle of 90 to the appliance body, being entered in the aperture 26 of the latter (see Figs. 7 and 8) whereupon the adapter is rotated to aline the pin or protuberance 23 for entering in the opening 25 of the body Ill, it being apparent that the head 24a, of the protuberance 24, the major dimension of which will then span the slot or aperture 26 of the body portion I0 effectively interlocking the adapter and the appliance body, with the former forming a virtual continuation of the latter. In this connection, it may be pointed out that the defining surfaces of the opening 26 of the body I0 are bevelled or chamfered so that the adapter must of necessity be associated with that surface of the appliance body which is normally the back thereof, for purposeswhich will be hereinafter set forth. (Figs. '1 and 8).

For use with the adapter, I provide a Wiper having a backing strip 21, a wiping surface 28 stitched thereto and two end pockets 29 and 30, formed by stitching appropriately sized pieces of fabric to the strip 21, the pocket 29 being of greater length and receiving the. major portion of the adapter body 20 upon which the wiper is supported for service, when the smaller pocket 3|] is passed over or engaged with the lower end thereof. (See Figs. 4 and 5). The adapter, as will be obvious, is designed for operating on small size window panes and other surfaces to which it is applicable, where their dimensions do not admit of the use of the larger appliance, but also provides a means for adding to the overall length of the appliance temporarily for reaching other wise inaccessible spots, as in wiping walls, cleaning large windows and other surfaces. In the use of the adapter, as will be noted from Figure 9 of the drawing, the arm 2| is flexed in response to the leverage force transmitted from the handle I4 of the appliance, through the rigid bodyIO thereof, as the appliance member I3 abuts upon the contiguous surface of said body, due to the reversal of the position of the body in this phase of use as hereinbefore pointed out.

In the modified form of the invention, shown in Figure 10, it will be noted that I have provided a relatively long handle I la fixed to the flexible member I3a, which, as in the preferred form of my invention and in the adapted form of Figure 4, is securely fastened to the rigid body Illa, on which the appropriately sized wiper is mounted, in the manner heretofore explained. Manifestly, this long handle type of device may be satisfactorily used in operating on surfaces of small area, as well as upon those of larger dimensions and enables the operator or user to reach normally out of the way spots. In most instances, however, the use of the preferred embodiment is desirable, as with the greater effective area that the wiper affords, work on large surfaces may be more expeditiously performed, while, with the adapter, surfaces of small dimensions may be efliciently operated upon. Further, because of its compactness, between the grip l4 and its upper end, the preferred form of the appliance may be readily entered between the upper and lower sash of windows where the clearance would not render the employment of the device of Figure 10 feasible.

My appliance in any of its forms, including the adapter, is used in any way which will suit the convenience of the operator and insure the proper performance of the work in hand, as herein set forth and as explained in more or less detail in the text of my previously cited Letters Patent, it being evident that its use, as heretofore pointed out, is not confined to operating upon glass, and similar surfaces. In fact, my appliance provides a new method of wiping down walls and other vertical surfaces in the home and elsewhere and is not only more eificient for the purpose than the conventional wall brush or mop, but responds better to sanitary requirements in collecting the dust rather than agitating it into'the atmosphere.

While I have shown and described my invention in certain embodiments thereof, it will be entirely obvious that various changes in the structural details of the appliance or of the wiper may be made within the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

I claim:

1. A cleaning appliance including an elongated rigid body-portion, a resilient member fixed thereto for relatively angular movement at one end, a handle carried by said member, an extension for said body-portion, said extension having a rigid wiper receiving portion and a resilient support therefor, and means for interlocking said extension and said rigid body portion of the appliance, said means comprising a plurality of laterally projecting surfaces on said resilient support and cooperating openings in said rigid body, one of said surfaces constituting an interlocking element when said extension is in functioning position on said appliance bodyportion.

2. A cleaning appliance comprising a device embodying an elongated rigid body-portion, a. resilient member connected thereto for relatively angular movement at one end, a handle carried by said member, detachable means for providing a virtual extension of said body-portion, said means including a rigid plate, a resilient support therefor and means for connecting said extension to said body-portion whereby said resilient support may be flexed by pressure applied to said handle, said resilient member abutting upon said body-portion to transmit effort applied to said handle through said bodyportion to said resilient support to press said plate into flat contact throughout its length with a surface adapted to be traversed by said plate, in a cleaning operation.

3. A cleaning appliance comprising a device embodying an elongated flat rigid member, a resilient element fixed intermediate of the ends of said rigid member and parallel to the surface thereof, said resilient element extending beyond one end of said rigid member, a handle carried by the free portion of said resilient element, whereby said element may be flexed in a relatively angular movement from said rigid member, to press the latter into contact with a surface to be operated upon, throughout its length, and means detachably connectible to said rigid member to form a virtual continuation thereof, said means including a rigid plate adapted to support a cleanirm material, a resilient arm fixed in parallel to one face. of said plate and means for connecting said arm to said rigid member, said arm being capable of flexure to urge said plate into surface contact with the Work to which said cleaning material is to be applied, throughout its area, when functioning as an extension of said rigid member, in response to effort effective upon said handle to maintain said resilient element in flat contact with said rigid member.

4. A cleaning appliance or the like, embodying a rigid member, a handle resiliently connected thereto for relative. angular movement and means detachably connectible to said rigid member to form a virtual continuation of the end thereof remote from said handle, said means including a rigid plate adapted to function as a support for a detachable fibrous work-performing surface, a resilient arm fixed to said plate and means for connecting said arm to said rigid member, said arm being capable of flexure to urge the work-performing surface carried by said plate into contact with the work throughout the length of said plate, in response to efiort effective upon said handle.

AUGUST C. E. MEIER. 

